BALTIMORE -- Wrapped in decades of tradition, the Tigers¡¯ color scheme is as time-honored and beloved as any in baseball. Nowhere -- not at home, not on the road, not then, not now -- does it involve a red helmet.

So why was Zach McKinstry wearing one in the Tigers' dugout Saturday night at Camden Yards?

Because that wasn¡¯t a baseball helmet McKinstry¡¯s teammates threw on his head after homering in Detroit¡¯s 5-1 loss to the Orioles. It was a hockey helmet -- a Red Wings helmet, to be precise -- and by the time McKinstry reached the end of the dugout line assembled to celebrate his dinger, he had a stick in his hand and was unleashing a dry-swing slapshot, to boot.

So goes the Tigers¡¯ ice-inspired new home run celebration, which the team debuted on an otherwise dreary evening at Oriole Park. McKinstry¡¯s 410-foot seventh-inning solo homer was pretty much all the Tigers could muster against Kyle Gibson and two O¡¯s relievers, while Joey Wentz?fell victim to a four-run third to bear the brunt of Detroit¡¯s third straight loss. The Tigers have now scored just five runs over their last four games, while going 2-for-18 (.111 average) with runners in scoring position during that span.

¡°I don¡¯t think we were very good offensively,¡± manager A.J. Hinch said. ¡°Not a great night for us offensively. When you look back on it, it was a disappointing night.¡±?

At least, then, they found a way to make McKinstry¡¯s blast memorable. Dugout home run celebrations are something of a trend in the game right now; earlier this month, the Orioles made headlines after debuting a creative (if controversial) one of their own. The Tigers had been planning to unveil theirs since at least Friday, when Spencer Torkelson?was spotted wearing a pair of oversized red goalie gloves during batting practice on the field at Oriole Park.?

Torkelson takes credit for the concept. The hockey stick addition was Riley Greene¡¯s idea.

¡°Honestly, I felt like we were the only team in the league without one,¡± Torkelson said. ¡°We were like: ¡®Let¡¯s think of something!'¡±

Torkelson indicated the ritual could evolve over the course of the season. That is, of course, with practice.?

¡°Hopefully we see it a lot more,¡± Torkelson said. ¡°Detroit is a hockey town.¡±?

The opportunities have been hard to come by this weekend against the Orioles¡¯ white-hot pitching staff, which kept the Tigers in the ballpark in Friday¡¯s series opener and piled up 15 strikeouts on Saturday, keeping Detroit off the board outside of McKinstry¡¯s homer. Wentz wasn¡¯t nearly as fortunate. Four of the five runs the left-hander allowed came in Baltimore¡¯s pivotal four-run third, when Wentz¡¯s composure and command unraveled ahead of Ram¨®n Ur¨ªas¡¯ three-run double.

¡°They took advantage of the big innings that they had,¡± Hinch said. ¡°We missed out on ours.¡±?

Last September, the last time Wentz pitched at Camden Yards, the southpaw spent the evening delivering his best performance in a string of strong starts down the stretch with an eye on the Tigers¡¯ 2023 rotation. Wentz returned this weekend an active member of that rotation in part because of Matt Manning¡¯s recent foot fracture, but his second start at the ballpark took a different turn. Hinch said Wentz would remain in the rotation and take his next turn, which would line him up to start Thursday against the Orioles at home.

¡°I¡¯m looking forward to getting back out there, have a good bullpen and take care of myself between starts,¡± Wentz said. ¡°Looking forward to the next one.¡±